149 HISTORY OF THE SEVENTY-EIGHTH REGIMENT O.V.V.I.
the Seventy-Eighth, was placed in command of the Second Brigade, consisting of the Twentieth, Sixty-Eighth and Seventy-Eighth Ohio, and ordered to escort Colonel Potts' train until it met the supply train, which was on its way out from Vicksburg. We marched out about two miles, and were nearly prepared to rest, previous to receiving the orders, which came in the evening. Then we went out the Brownsville road about three miles, and again prepared our beds, but before we could use them we were ordered to the front, and went farther out the road, with instructions to lie behind a high fence, and there we were until morning.
When the morning came we started, and after traveling eleven miles, met the supply train, and facing about we retraced our steps, escorting the supply train to Canton. After a night in the rain the two Corps took up their line of march for Vicksburg. On the evening that we entered Canton, the Seventy-Eighth encamped within a mile of the town, in an open field. Company B, with others, had served through the day as pioneers, and their guns and traps were put in a wagon. Some of the guns were loaded but not capped. When the regiment stopped for the night, the wagon came up with the guns, and the boys were taking their guns as fast as they could reclaim them. Private Lewis Moore, becoming impatient at the delay, and seeing his gun under others, seized and pulled it toward him, when it discharged its contents, striking him in the breast and killing him instantly. The bullet passed through him and entering the breast of private John Skinnen, who was standing behind him, passed nearly through him, and lodged deep under the muscles of the back, from which point I extracted it. He lived about twenty minutes only. Thus suddenly passed from earth two brave and faithful soldiers, by an accident, who had escaped death upon the battle-field where bullets rained like a leaden shower. They came into the service together, messed together, were always on duty together, marched side by side, and were by the same bullet hurried into eternity. We buried them side by side with military honors in the quiet grave-yard in Canton, built a fence around their grave, planted an evergreen at their head, and left them. The accident happened on the 26th of February, and they were buried on the 27th. Our march from Canton was a pleasant one, for officers and men were in fine spirits. We reached the Bakocheto on the second night and slept upon the field over which our Brigade skirmished in the Brownsville expedition. A body of rebel cavalry followed us from Canton, and shelled our rear, but were cautious enough to keep so far behind that not a shot reached our rear guard. At the Backocheto we expected an attack, as the ground favored the rebels, but they left us there and went off to the right, and were probably a part of, or may be the force that attacked our men at Yazoo city. Passing through Brownsville we pursued the road to Edward's depot, passed one night on the way, and on the next day (March 4th) by a march of twenty-five miles we crossed Black river and arrived at Vicksburg.
I would like to tell you of the country we passed through, its level lands and swamps, its hills and vales, and its lofty pines, of our foraging expeditions, and how we subsisted upon the country, of the meat, the hams and poultry, turkies, chickens, and
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